Henry p



(No Model.)

H. P. CHURCHILL. RECEIVING ANDDELIYERING SPOUT FOB TOOTHPIGK'MAOHINBS.

No. 570,744.- P'a tente'd Now-fa,-1896-.-

Witnesses; Inventor n4: "cams ravens co mam-Lrrna. wmumcnon u c UNITEDSTATES PATENT OF ICE.

HENRY P. CHURCHILL, OF DEERING, MAINE, AS SIGNOR TO ALVIN S. WILCOX ANDJOHN M. ADAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

RECEIVING AND DELIVERING SPOUT FOR TOOTHPICK-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,744, dated November3, 1896.

Application filed January 10, 1896. Serial No. 574,9 l0. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY P. CHURCHILL, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Deering, in the county of Cumberland and Stateof Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Re-'ceiving and Delivery Spouts for Toothpick- Machines; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for making woodentoothpicks, and more particularly to spouts for receiving and deliveringthe picks as they are cut from the blanks. So far as I am aware spoutsfor this purpose as now constructed consist of an open tube, into whichthe picks are fed and from which they are delivered by action ofgravity. The objection to these devices is that the picks falling aconsiderable distance are apt to get crossed, whereby it becomesdifficult to gather and pack them properly in boxes.

The object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty, and I do thisby making a spout of any convenient form and suspending in it a yieldingpressure-plate, which,

when in its normal position, closes the delivery end of the spout, butwhich may be opened by the pressure of the picks as they are forced downby the plunger, or, in other words, by giving the picks a pressure feed.

My improved spout is adapted to be attached to machines which form thepick by pressing a strip of veneer cvera hollow knife, a type of whichmachines is illustrated in Letters Patent No. 549,488, issued to me No-Vember 12, 1895.

In the drawing herewith accompanying and forming a part of thisapplication I have shown a vertical sectional view of such a machinehaving my improved spout attached thereto.

Same letters refer to like parts.

In said drawing, A represents a suitable base; B, a feed-table; C,feed-rolls; D, a hollow knife over which the veneer is fed and whichcuts the picks; E, a reciprocating plun ger adapted to press the veneerdown upon said knife. Beneath the knife is arranged my improved spout,which consists of an upright portion F, a horizontal portion G, and aninclined intermediate portion H. Suspended in said spout is an angularpressureplate I, which in its normal position entirely closes the spoutat a point near the bottom of the upright portion, but which is capableof being pressed outwardly by the picks as they are forced downwardlybehind it, the free end serving to regulate the depth of picks as theyare delivered to the trough. It will be evident that the yieldingpressure-plate maybe actuated either by gravity or a spring.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: WVhen the machine isstarted, the pressure-plate is in the position shown. The space betweenthe pressure -plate and the back of the upright portion of the tubebeing very narrow, a very few picks only fall by gravity a shortdistance, but not sufficient to raise the pressure-plate. As soon,however, as the closed space is full each successive pick is pressedagainst the ones beneath and thus forces up the pressure-plate to permitthe picks to be discharged from the bottom. The picks being fed by aforce feed from the knife to the point of delivery prevents them fromgetting out of orderly position, and they may be taken from thehorizontal portion of the spout after passing out from under thegravity-plate without at any time destroying the force feed, the spacebetween the plate and back of the spout being always full. By this meansthe forced feed is continuous.

The advantages of my improved device are that it prevents Waste of picksand saves time in gathering them into bunches for package.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim-- 1. Theherein-described delivery-spout for toothpick-machines, consisting of aspout having an angular yielding plate mounted therein adapted normallyto close the spout and hold the picks from falling by gravity alone butcapable of being forced open by the picks under pressure when saidclosed portion of the spout is full of picks to permit egress of thepicks from the spout and to admit others from above, the angle of saidplate lying opposite the point where the spout changes from the verticalto the horizontal, form height for the delivery of the picks intowhereby the spout is kept full and a continuthe horizontal part of thespout, substantially ous and even flow of picks is secured, subas andfor the purposes set forth. stantially as and for the purposes setforth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature, I 5 5 2. In areceiving and delivering spout for in presence of two Witnesses, this23d day of toothpick-machines, a spout having vertical December, A. D.1895. and horizontal sections, an angular yielding 7 A pressure-platemounted in said spout, the HENRY CHURCHILL angle of the plate beingopposite the angle Witnesses: IO of the spout and the free end of theangular NATHAN CLIFFORD, plate serving to regulate and afford a uni-ALFRED J. PHELPS.

